Never Say Never
by fembuck
Summary: While Eva is on temporary release from federal prison in order to help the team with a case involving the Russians, Tammy and Eva find themselves alone at Eva's safe house. Tammy Gregorio/Eva Azarova. Femslash.


**Title:** Never Say Never  
 **Fandom:** NCIS: New Orleans  
 **Pairing:** Tammy Gregorio/Eva Azarova  
 **Words:** 5,801  
 **Summary:** While Eva is on temporary release from federal prison in order to help the team with a case involving the Russians, Tammy and Eva find themselves alone at Eva's safe house.

xxx

After turning off the car engine, Tammy sat for a moment, staring at the entrance to the safe house through her windshield as she fought the urge to check her hair and makeup in the rear view mirror.

 _You're on the clock_ , Tammy told herself determinedly. _This is work, not a date_ , she continued, desperately wishing that this wasn't something she had to try to convince herself of. _You're a responsible adult_ , she stated firmly, bracing her hands on the steering wheel and then closing her eyes, taking a few moments to inhale and exhale slowly, attempting to calm the nervous energy that was flowing through her.

 _She's a convict on temporary release from federal prison_ , Tammy reminded herself. _You're here to guard her. When you walk into that loft, it's not a social call. She's an asset. That's all._

 _That's all_ , Tammy repeated determinedly one last time before allowing her eyes to open.

 _That's all._

xxx

Despite the talk she had given herself in her car, Tammy's eyes gravitated towards Eva the moment she entered the main room of the loft. Eva was lounging on the larger of the couches in the room, looking better than anyone had a right to in such bland surroundings, and when their eyes met, Eva's lips twitched up into a crooked little smirk that Tammy had found entirely too charming since the night they'd met.

 _Damn that smile_ , Tammy thought.

She was weak for that smile.

"Had any trouble?" Tammy asked Percy, her voice a little too gruff as she tried at act as if everything was normal even though she was wrestling against the urge to smile back at Eva like a love-struck teenager.

"Only from this damn crossword," Percy complained walking the short distance to the desk at the side of the room and balling up a section of the local newspaper which she then tossed into the trash bin. "Mati Hari's been on her best behavior," she continued a moment later, jerking her head in Eva's direction.

"You don't say," Tammy drawled, allowing her gaze to drift back over to Eva who was openly observing the two agents as she remained reclining on the couch. "Who woulda guessed? Mom was right. Miracles do happen," Tammy sassed, earning herself a smile from Percy. "She been fed yet?"

Percy shook her head. "She declined earlier," Percy explained as she leaned to the side and pulled open the top drawer of the desk. She reached inside and pulled out a few menus which she then handed over to Tammy with a jocular smile. "Looks like you'll be her dinner date."

"Lucky me," Tammy replied with a fake enthusiasm that made Percy laugh. "Any recommendations?" she asked, trying to pretend that she was successfully ignoring the way Percy's words - and the knowledge that she was soon to be alone with Eva - were affecting her.

"Can't go wrong with Dragon King Chinese. Trust me, I'm speaking from personal experience here," Percy replied.

"It gets the Sonja Percy stamp of approval?"

"It's so good I'd buy a second one just so I could stamp it twice," Percy pronounced, drawing a smile from Tammy. "You good here?"

"Yeah, yeah," Tammy replied confidently, though internally she felt a bit like a deer staring down a pair of rapidly approaching headlights. "The fort is held. Go on, go home. Enjoy your night. Have a pinot for me," she continued, sharing a smile with Percy as she walked the other agent to the door.

xxx

Tammy heard springs creak a few moments after the safe house door clicked shut, and her heart stopped for a second. Eva wasn't lounging anymore, and when Tammy's heart started to beat again, the knowledge that they were alone, and that Eva was approachingher made her heartbeat quicken.

Tammy turned around slowly, and she hoped calmly, settling in to watch Eva as the woman silkily stalked towards her, hating herself for how much trouble she was having keeping her eyes on Eva's face.

In the months since they had last seen each other, Tammy had tried not to imagine what it would be like to be face to face with Eva again. She'd failed more than she'd succeeded in that pursuit however, and on more occasions than she would like to admit, Tammy had imagined how a reunion like this might go.

Their first interactions had been so loaded with words that Tammy hadn't been able to conceive of any encounter between them beginning without a verbal exchange. She had thought it would begin with flirty banter and teasing, or maybe with an Arabic axiom being tossed out in homage to their first 'date'. She'd even toyed with the idea that Eva was the type to open with some Russian poetry.

But so far, Eva hadn't said a word, and that surprised Tammy; it left her feeling off balance, but it also made her jittery with anticipation.

"I thought I'd at least rate," Tammy began as Eva reached out to her, her fingers brushing tenderly over Tammy's right cheek, "a hello," Tammy continued, her voice much softer and more breathless than it had been a moment before.

"Hello," Eva breathed out, cupping Tammy's face tenderly in her hand as her lips curved up into a gentle smile.

And then, before Tammy could speak, before she could even think of speaking, Eva was in motion once more, leaning into Tammy until their lips pressed together and Eva was kissing her.

At the first press of Eva's lips against hers, Tammy's eyes closed instinctively and her free hand moved to Eva's hips, taking hold of the Russian, keeping her close, as her mind quieted and her body warmed, melting helplessly into Eva and her kiss.

"Sorry," Eva breathed, voice whisper soft as she finally pulled back from Tammy's lips. "I've just been thinking about doing that again, about doing it properly, for months."

"I bet you have," Tammy husked, allowing her lips to turn up a little in a smile that Eva unconsciously returned. "Found some night activities in prison after all, huh?" Tammy asked, arching a dark eyebrow at Eva.

"That's a pretty fresh question for a woman who hasn't even told me her first name," Eva commented, holding Tammy's eyes, not even a hint of a blush on her cheeks after Tammy's highly suggestive question.

Tammy shrugged, and stepped around Eva, moving away from the foyer and back into the main room of the loft, putting a little space between them in the hopes that it would help her think.

"Well, they do say a woman's appeal is fifty percent illusion," Tammy observed lightly.

"Illusion isn't necessary with me Agent Gregorio," Eva murmured, turning to face Tammy, though she didn't attempt to move towards her. "I already find you very appealing."

"I could tell," Tammy replied, her lips twitching up slightly.

Eva shrugged lightly, and then took a seat on the arm of the couch she had been lying on earlier. "So?" she asked, tilting her head quizzically at Tammy.

"So what?" Tammy asked.

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"Your name," Eva replied, tracking Tammy as she moved throughout the room, learning the layout and avoiding Eva's tempting gaze. "That's a shame," Eva sighed a few moments later when Tammy remained silent. "It would have been nice to have something other than Gregorio to moan later."

That drew a sardonic puff of laughter from Tammy, and earned Eva some renewed eye contact.

"What?" Eva asked, her tone approaching innocence though the look in her eyes was anything but. "You're the one who said you wanted to get to know each other better."

"Yeah," Tammy drawled, lifting up the take-out menus Percy had handed her earlier. "Why don't we start with dinner, though?"

xxx

Tammy had wondered if it would be different, being around Eva, without her Monica Grange alias to hide behind. The thought had never really been convincing to her, but she had considered the idea that she might not feel as strongly about Eva when she saw her again. She thought that there was a possibility that she had just been caught up in the adrenaline of being undercover, that it had just been endorphins that had caused her to react to Eva so powerfully.

However, almost from the moment she had walked into the loft, it had been clear to Tammy that adrenalin, endorphins, the phase of the moon, the position of the stars, a butterfly flapping its wings in Fiji, or any other excuse she could pull out of her ass had nothing to do with the pull she had felt towards Eva that first night, in the days that followed, or in their last moments together in the courtyard.

The playful back and forth that had existed between them months ago, had been just that … had been _them_. It had been who they who they were at their cores that were drawn to each other, not the personas that they had adopted for the sake of their individual missions.

The inconvenient truth of the matter was that Tammy liked Eva; she liked her sense of humor, she liked her smile, she liked her voice; she liked that soft expression that came into Eva's eyes when Eva looked at her. She liked Eva more than she had liked anyone, man or woman, for a very long time, and she hated that this liking couldn't lead to anything more, because when this case was over Eva was going back inside, and that was that.

"You're very attractive when you're brooding, you know?" Eva commented, drawing Tammy out of her thoughts.

"I appreciate the flattery, but we both know that you find me attractive always," Tammy replied, grinning over at Eva nonetheless. "And I wasn't brooding."

"No?" Eva asked, not sounding the least bit convinced.

"No," Tammy confirmed, meeting Eva's eyes steadily, one, because she wasn't one to back down, and two, because Eva had very pretty eyes.

"It really looked like …"

"Not brooding," Tammy cut in before Eva could finish, drawing an amused smirk to the redhead's lips.

"Okay, fine. Not brooding," Eva relented, leaning back in recliner she had taken up occupation of after they had finished dinner. "Is it the company then? I am boring you, Shannon?" Eva asked, making Tammy smile and then laugh lightly.

"Shannon? Really?" Tammy asked a few moments later, a ghost of a smile still lingering on her lips.

"If my guessing's annoying you, you could just tell, Mona," Eva pointed out.

"What would be the fun in that?" Tammy asked cheekily. "And, not Mona. You're getting closer though."

"Really?" Eva asked brightly.

"No," Tammy replied, shaking her head before smirking.

Eva made her eyes narrow and her lips purse in a show of displeasure, but she had been amused by Tammy's antics, and she knew that she wasn't doing a good job keeping it from showing.

"Well," Eva drawled, "considering how much fun you're having at my expensive, at least I know I'm not boring now."

"You weren't boring me before," Tammy sighed, serious again as she looked over at Eva thoughtfully, "The opposite actually."

"I'm what you were _not-brooding_ about?" Eva asked curiously, uncrossing her legs so that she could lean forward, towards Tammy, who was seated on the couch Eva had been occupying when Tammy had first entered the room.

"Yeah," Tammy replied, smiling a little even as she shook her head. "I confess, you've been on my mind of late, too."

"And that's a reason to _not_ \- brood?" Eva asked softly, vulnerable in a way that Tammy hadn't seen since their goodbye in the station courtyard months before.

"It is when you'll be back inside within a week," Tammy replied, meeting Eva's gaze briefly before she dropped her eyes again.

"I'm not inside now though," Eva breathed out, sliding forward in the recliner, hoping to get Tammy to look at her again. "I'm right here with you … alone with you," she continued, her soft and intimate tone drawing Tammy's eyes up to her face once again. "That's more than we had a week ago, and more than we'll have a week from now. I wish that last part wasn't true, but I don't want to agonize over the inevitability of our parting, I want to make the most of the freedom we have now."

Tammy closed her eyes and exhaled deeply, angling her head away from Eva, afraid of what those eyes might lead her to do if she continued to gaze into them.

"You know I can't," Tammy exhaled harshly a few seconds later, standing abruptly and pacing away from the couch. "You're …" Tammy turned towards Eva and reached out her hands, gesturing helplessly at the entirety of Eva for a moment before sighing and looking away again. "This is my job. This is my _life_. I can't just … I might want to, but I can't."

"No one's going to know," Eva said, standing up, moving towards Tammy, wanting to reach out and touch the other woman, but restraining the urge in the face of Tammy's obvious agitation.

" _I'm_ going to know," Tammy replied, sounding pained. "I _feel it_ ," Tammy said, tapping her fist above her heart. "I can't help that. I can't control that. But what I do, what I _choose_ to do, nor not do, that's something else entirely."

"It doesn't," Eva began, reaching out for Tammy instinctively, only to pull back when Tammy looked down at her hand like it was composed of scorpions. "It doesn't have to be this filthy thing," Eva said imploringly, "What I feel for you isn't a filthy thing."

"Neither is what I feel for you," Tammy responded earnestly, finally meeting Eva's eyes so that the redhead could see the truth of her words. "But it is an illegal thing."

"It shouldn't be," Eva replied huffily.

"It is."

"It _shouldn't be_ ," Eva repeated.

"It should though," Tammy disagreed, exhaling in frustration. "I'm in a position of authority over you. You are in my care."

"I want to be in your bed," Eva retorted, and Tammy closed her eyes and tilted her head back, taking a deep, calming breath, because Eva's words had hit her exactly the way Eva had intended them to.

"I don't wanna be _that_ person," Tammy breathed out a short while later, looking over at Eva again.

"You won't be," Eva assured her, taking a step towards Tammy again, and then taking Tammy's hand into her own like she had been itching to do. "I'm a grown woman. I know what I want. I know what I'm doing. You're not taking advantage of me. I want this. I want you …" Eva paused when she realized that she still didn't know Tammy's first name. "Will you please tell me your name?" Eva breathed out.

"Tammy."

"Tammy," Eva repeated, testing the sound of the name in her mouth. "Tammy?" she breathed out a moment later, a touch of surprise in her voice as her lips curved up impishly.

"Shut up," Tammy grumbled, glaring at Eva, even as her lips twitched up at the corners, fighting a losing battle against a smile.

"All I said was your name," Eva protested.

"It's not what you said …" Tammy began.

"It's how I said it?" Eva guessed.

"It's not how you said it either. It's how you _looked_ while saying it," Tammy told her.

Eva rolled her eyes at that and looked for a moment like she was about to protest, but then a thoughtful expression came over her face, and a moment later she shrugged and said, "Fair enough," which brought a smile to Tammy's lips.

"That night, at the hotel, you told me not to close my heart to a new opportunity. So, I'm not," Eva commented a few seconds later, stroking her thumb over Tammy's knuckles.

"I thought you didn't know what that meant," Tammy said, narrowing her eyes at Eva suspiciously.

"I didn't. But I remembered the words, because they came from your lips, and … I'm a resourceful woman."

"Too resourceful," Tammy observed darkly, ignoring the way Eva's earlier words made her stomach flutter.

"Alas," Eva drawled, smiling sardonically, acknowledging the truth behind Tammy's words before preparing herself to broach an altogether more serious line of discussion. "I want you to know that I _am_ capable of taking no for an answer," Eva started once Tammy's eyes settled on her again. "If you tell me you can't again, I'll stop," she continued. "But I want you. I want this," she went on, glancing towards the bed she had claimed over the past two nights. "And if you want it too, which I'm certain you do, there's no good reason for us to resist. It seems to me that the universe has provided us with a rare opportunity at a second chance here, brief as it may be, and I'd rather seize the day than live in fear of future consequence."

Tammy's lips parted, a reply about it being easy to not fear the future when you had none immediately springing to her lips. But she clamped down on the response, trapping the words inside. There was truth in what she had wanted to say, but it was a hard, cruel truth that didn't need to be spoken.

Besides, just as there was truth in the words she chose not to voice, there was truth in the words Eva had voiced, and that truth was that Tammy did want this. She wanted Eva desperately, and despite the things she had been saying to Eva before, Tammy knew that there was a large part of her that wanted to be the person that seized the day, and did what they wanted, consequences be damned. Tammy understood that the reason she had spent so long in her car earlier, trying to make herself believe that nothing was going to happen between them that night, was because she _knew_ she had shown up to the safe house hoping that something would.

"So, this is how people become the idiot that should have known better," Tammy sighed incredulously, knowing that she was on the cusp of choosing to do something monumentally stupid yet impossibly desirable.

"Not the most romantic line, but it sounds promising," Eva remarked, and strangely - yet somehow not strangely at all - that stupid comment, and how charming Tammy found it, was it.

Tammy's decision was made.

"Come 'ere," Tammy breathed out, holding out her hand to Eva in invitation.

Eva arched a questioning eyebrow at Tammy, but nonetheless took a step forward and placed her hand in the agent's.

"You were right," Tammy murmured, "It _was_ promising."

And then, using their joined hands, Tammy tugged Eva towards her, and within moments, for the second time that night, Tammy was kissing Eva Azarova.

xxx

Later that night

Eva pressed her lips against Tammy's stomach, sighing contently at the feel of warm flesh, and the taste of sweat slicked skin. Tammy's stomach was still rising and falling as she recovered from her latest orgasm, and Eva's lips curved up smugly as she kissed her way up Tammy's torso, over her collarbone, and to her neck, which she began to tease and suck on.

"Stop it, ya damn vampire," Tammy husked, drawing a laugh from her bedmate as she pushed at Eva's shoulder ineffectively, her muscles still weak from exertion. "You promised. No marks," Tammy continued; a slight note of warning present in her voice.

Eva groaned sadly, but relented and pulled back from Tammy's neck.

A promise was a promise after all.

"You broke your own rule, you know," Eva murmured, dipping her head down to trail her lips over Tammy's collarbone, still teasing, but not applying enough pressure or suction to leave any lasting marks.

"I know," Tammy confirmed, her lips curling up into a wide, shit-eating grin as she remembered how beautifully Eva had responded to her mouth sucking and biting at the sensitive skin of her inner thighs. "But I didn't leave 'em where anyone's gonna see 'em."

Eva lifted her head so that she could see Tammy's face, and upon witnessing the wicked grin tugging up Tammy's lips, Eva found herself biting down on her bottom lip to stop a moan from escaping her as a new wave of desire washed over her at the memory of how good getting those marks had felt.

"So, what you're saying is, I just need to be a vampire … lower?" Eva asked, biting down on her bottom lip as she gazed at Tammy.

"That's not what I was saying, but … I do like your initiative," Tammy replied, loving the amused grin that spread across Eva's lips. "You're hired," Tammy continued, barely getting the last past her lips before Eva was kissing her, hot and deep, while her hand slid up Tammy's bare thigh, clutching at her possessively every few seconds in a way that made Tammy ache with desire.

Eva released a surprised puff of air a minute later when she found herself suddenly on her back, Tammy moving to straddle her waist.

"I thought you were putting me to work?" Eva purred, running her hands up Tammy's thighs until she reached her hips, where she fanned out her thumbs, firmly stroking along Tammy's pelvis until the agent helplessly rocked into her hands.

"Such an eager beaver," Tammy breathed out once she'd managed to still her hips.

Eva laughed.

"More like eager for …"

Tammy groaned and shook her head.

"Don't say it."

Eva was quiet for a moment, and Tammy thought that she had won this round, but just before she was about to lean down and kiss Eva as a reward for behaving herself, Eva grinned at her, and then, enunciating like she was dictating for a book on tape, whispered, "Beaver."

"I hate you," Tammy said. "For real," she continued as Eva chuckled. "I'm gonna make you beg for it now," Tammy said lowly, suddenly serious and commanding, as she grasped Eva's wrists and lifted them above her head, pinning them to the mattress.

"I'm a former GRU agent. You're not going to get me to beg," Eva replied, meeting Tammy's eyes and holding her gaze challengingly.

"Oh," Tammy breathed, "You're definitely going to beg," she declared before leaning down to capture Eva's lips in a kiss that certainly got the former Russian operative to moan.

"I'll definitely enjoy you trying to make me," Eva rasped cockily, smirking up at Tammy when the brunette pulled away from her lips momentarily.

" _I'lldefinitelyenjoyyoutryingtomakeme_ ," Tammy parroted mockingly, making Eva laugh. "Turn over," Tammy requested releasing Eva's wrists so that she could give the redhead's thigh a little slap for emphasis.

Eva didn't move though, and when Tammy tried to do it again, the redhead grasped her wrist and held it firmly enough that Tammy's stomach gave a little flutter of excitement.

"You're lucky I like you," Eva husked, her voice low and silky.

"Gimme my hand back and I'll show you how lucky you are that _I_ like you," Tammy purred, giving a little tug to test Eva's hold and finding it delightfully secure.

Eva was still for a few moments, watching Tammy carefully, and then her lips parted and her muscles relaxed a little as she lay back against the mattress once more.

"I don't beg," Eva stated seriously, her eyes steady on Tammy in a way that made the agent stop and take notice.

"Okay," Tammy replied gently, holding Eva's gaze with her own. "I understand."

As much as they were drawn to each other, they didn't really know all that much about each other. However, Tammy had heard what Eva had told Pride in the interrogation room months ago, about her adolescence, and being taken from her parents at a young age to be trained to fight, and kill, and deceive by a man that she had come to despise so much she was willing to spend the rest of her life in federal lock up in order to make him pay for what he'd done to her. There had been such pain, and shame, in Eva's eyes as she had spoken to Pride about Victor and the things he had made her do. Tammy saw a ghost of that pain on Eva's face presently, and if she could have, she would have kicked her own ass for having anything to do with having put it there, for having reminded Eva of that time of powerlessness in her life, even for a moment.

"I'm sorry," Tammy whispered, reaching out to stroke Eva's cheek gently, even as Eva's muscles relaxed more and the look in her eyes softened. "I didn't mean to make you feel…"

"I know," Eva interjected softly, her lips curving up in delicate but genuine smile. "That's another reason I like you."

"Another?" Tammy questioned, arching an eyebrow at the redhead. "You never told me a first."

"Hmm," Eva hummed as she enjoyed the way Tammy continued to gently stroke her cheek. "When you swaggered into the _Sazerac_ and sat down at the bar in that dark dress with no Masquerade mask, you had my curiosity," Eva murmured, referring to the sign she had arranged with 'Monica Grange' for their met. "When I saw the gun garter you had strapped to your thigh, you had my interest," Eva continued, a naughty little smile touching her lips as she thought back to watching Tammy slip her piece back into that garter before she smoothly covered it with her dress again. "When you protected me from Victor's men, and made sure I was okay after the gunfight, you had my attention," Eva finished softly, her earlier sauciness replaced with something tender and sweet that made Tammy's heart ache.

"Do I have your attention now?" Tammy whispered, her voice husky with emotion and arousal.

"Every bit of it," Eva assured her.

"Good," Tammy breathed out. "Now, turn over and I'll give you another reason to like me."

xxx

The room was quiet and still as they lay peacefully together, having finally tired each other out. If it had truly been the end of an exceptional date, Tammy probably would have let herself drift off to sleep as she held Eva in her arms, but they only had a couple of hours left before they had to report to the station, and through some unspoken mechanism they'd both reached the conclusion that those hours shouldn't be spent sleeping.

"The way you're staring at that door is making me nervous," Tammy commented, voice raspy from overuse.

There was a clear view to the loft's front door from where the bed was situated on the second floor, and Eva's eyes had been on it for a while before Tammy had spoken.

"I know you're under the impression I don't think before I act," Eva began, twisting in Tammy's arms so that she was facing her instead of the door. "But with local PD still sitting outside, and this lovely tracking bracelet your boss strapped to my ankle still in place, not even I'd be 'adventurous' enough to attempt what you're suggesting. Besides," Eva added before pausing for dramatic effect.

"Besides, what?" Tammy prompted, knowing that Eva could, and would keep up the silent act until she played along.

"If I was planning an escape, I wouldn't do it on your watch," she stated earnestly. "I wouldn't want to make you look bad."

"Do my ears deceive me, or was that Russian spy love poetry?" Tammy asked, trying to keep a teasing smile off of her face and failing pretty badly at it.

"Ты такой паршивец," _You're such a brat_ , Eva said in response.

"That better not have been about my mother," Tammy said, pointing a warning finger at the redhead.

"I would never curse the woman that brought you into the world," Eva replied, no hint of teasing evident in her tone or gaze.

Tammy gazed at her for a moment after that, and then giving into the tender desire that Eva's words had inspired in her, she leaned over and brought their lips together in a sweet kiss.

"Most people break out the A+ lines like that _before_ they have the girl in bed," Tammy observed softly after pulling back from Eva's lips.

"Most people aren't as charming or good-looking as me and need the help," Eva replied, and Tammy had to bite back the sarcastic response that sprung to her lips because she wasn't one to self-drag and she clearly found Eva charming and good-looking. "Besides, this way you know I mean it."

"I believe it," Tammy murmured, angling her eyes away from Eva.

"Why does that make you not want to look at me?" Eva asked.

"Because it doesn't matter how much you care, or I care … we're already saying goodbye," Tammy replied, rolling away from Eva to settle on her back so that she was staring up at the ceiling.

"Would you really want me?" Eva asked before rolling onto her back too. "Would you want this, want us, if I wasn't going back in?" she continued as she focused her gaze above her as well.

"Why ask?" Tammy sighed. "You are going back in. That's that."

"Just, humor me. Please," Eva requested softly. "If we'd met in that bar for real, no playbook, no op, just two women out for a night. If we'd flirted and I'd invited you up to my room, and we'd spent the night like we spent tonight, would you have wanted to see me again?"

Tammy sighed deeply and closed her eyes, thinking back to that night and how easy it had been to flirt with Eva, even with Torres and Pride in her ear on coms, reminding her every ten seconds to stay on mission. She thought about how her heart had raced with excitement that had nothing to do with finding the playbook as they had ridden to Eva's suite in the elevator together. She thought about how the fact that Eva was in handcuffs about to be escorted to federal prison hadn't stopped her breath being taken away when Eva kissed her, and definitely hadn't stopped her from kissing Eva back, and she knew the answer to Eva's question.

"Yeah," Tammy replied, voice whisper soft. "I would have. But that's not what happened. We weren't on a date, and catching a show in the quarter or going out for kombucha isn't something we're going to be able to do …ever."

Eva turned to face Tammy then, and even though she was starting to feel morose and annoyed with the world, Tammy angled her head to the side to meet Eva's eyes.

"Do you remember what I said to you after I kissed you the first time?" Eva asked.

"Never say never," Tammy replied.

She remembered it well.

"That's right," Eva breathed out. "Never say never," she repeated resolutely, her gaze fierce and determined as she held Tammy's eyes.

"See, there's a part of me that loves the look that's in your eyes right now, but there's another part of me, the sensible part of me, that finds it … worrying," Tammy replied, studying Eva closely as she spoke.

However, before Tammy could say anything else, her cell began to ring and she was forced to scramble out of the bed in search of her jeans, hustling to answer the phone before it cut off and made whoever was on the other end begin to worry. She'd woven a tangled enough web for herself already. The last thing she needed was for Pride or another member of the team to radio the police detail parked in the open lot across the street and ask the blues to come barraging into the loft, catching her and Eva el flagrante delicto.

"Gregorio," Tammy said a bit breathlessly, answering the phone hurriedly after managing to wrestle it out of her pants pocket. "Yeah," she replied, nodding her head, "Um hmm," she murmured, nodding distractedly once more as she turned back towards the bed. "It's been," Tammy paused for a moment, distracted by Eva tugging the sheet that had been covering chest down to reveal her breasts to Tammy. "Uh … good, fine. It was a quiet night," Tammy continued, picking up where she had left off, pretending she didn't see Eva smirking at her. "Yeah, surprisingly. Okay … um hmm … we'll see you then."

"Pride?" Eva questioned when Tammy dropped her cell on the safe house desk.

"Pride," Tammy confirmed. "It's time to get going."

"No breakfast?" Eva asked, pouting.

Tammy smirked.

"You've had plenty to eat."

"First of all, you're welcome," Eva replied, grinning over at Tammy, looking pleased as punch. "Secondly, all the more reason to buy me a bagel."

Tammy smiled and shook her head.

"We'll pick up something on the way," she promised.

They still had an hour and a half before they needed to be at the station, but she thought it would be best to get an early start. She didn't know what distracting and pleasurable activities Eva might tempt her into if she returned to bed, and she couldn't afford to have them show up late and make anyone suspicious.

"You should hop into the shower," Tammy added a moment later, nodding towards the bathroom door.

"It'd save time if you joined me," Eva suggested with only a hint of lecherousness in her gaze.

"Would it really?" Tammy asked as Eva slid gracefully out of bed and stood before her, gloriously, temptingly nude.

"Does it matter?" Eva inquired as she made her way towards the bathroom door. "You're going to do it anyway," she stated confidently, and with that said, Eva headed into the bathroom without a glance back.

Tammy bit down on her bottom lip wantonly as she watched Eva disappear into the bathroom, her mind already whirling…

The station was only half an hour away, which meant as long as they made it out of the safe house within forty minutes, even with a stop to pick up some breakfast they'd have enough time to make it to the station. Also, after how she'd spent the night, she did need a shower, and if she showered with Eva, at least she'd be able to keep an eye on her, so showering together was actually the responsible thing to do. The New Orleans heat would dry her hair before they made it to the station, so that couldn't give them away, which meant that really, there was no reason not to…

Tammy sighed and shook her head at herself.

Eva was right.

She _was_ going to do it anyway.

The End

 _Thank you so much reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Comments are always welcome and greatly appreciated :)_


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